medication – such as opioid painkillers like morphine and some antidepressants

Parkinson's disease – a condition in which part of the brain becomes progressively damaged over many years

scleroderma – an uncommon disease that results in hard, thickened areas of skin, and sometimes problems with internal organs and blood vessels

amyloidosis – a group of rare but serious diseases caused by deposits of abnormal protein in tissues and organs throughout the body

Diagnosing gastroparesis

To diagnose gastroparesis, your GP will ask about your symptoms and medical history, and may arrange some blood tests.

You may be referred to hospital for some of the following tests:

barium X-ray – where you swallow a liquid containing the chemical barium, which shows up on X-ray and highlights its passage through your digestive system

gastric emptying scan using scintigraphy – you eat food (often eggs) containing a very small amount of a radioactive substance that is detected on the scan; gastroparesis is diagnosed if more than 10% of the food is still in your stomach four hours after eating

wireless capsule test – you swallow a small, electronic device that sends information about how fast it moves through your digestive tract to a recording device

endoscopy – a thin, flexible tube (endoscope) is passed down your throat and into your stomach to examine the stomach lining and rule out other possible causes

Treating gastroparesis

Gastroparesis can't usually be cured, but dietary changes and medical treatment can help you control the condition.

Dietary changes

You may find these tips helpful:

instead of three meals a day, try smaller, more frequent meals – this means there's less food in your stomach and it will be easier to pass through your system

try soft and liquid foods – these are easier to digest

chew food well before swallowing

drink non-fizzy liquidswith each meal

It may also help to avoid certain foods that are hard to digest – such as apples with their skin on, or high-fibre foods like oranges and broccoli – as well as foods high in fat, which can also slow down digestion.

Medication

The following medications may be prescribed to help improve your symptoms:

domperidone – which is taken before eating to contract your stomach muscles and help move food along

erythromycin – an antibiotic that also helps contract the stomach and may help move food along

anti-emetics – medication that controls nausea

However, the evidence that these medications relieve the symptoms of gastroparesis is relatively limited and they can cause a number of side effects. Your doctor should discuss the potential risks and benefits with you.

Domperidone should only be taken at the lowest effective dose for the shortest possible duration because of the small risk of potentially serious heart-related side effects.

Electrical stimulation

If dietary changes and medication don't improve your symptoms, a relatively new treatment called gastroelectrical stimulation may be tried. However, this is currently not routinely funded by many local NHS authorities.

Two leads attached to this device are fixed to the muscles of your lower stomach. They deliver electrical impulses to help stimulate the muscles involved in controlling the passage of food through your stomach. The device is turned on using a handheld external control.

The effectiveness of this treatment can vary considerably. Not everyone will respond to it, and for many of those who do the effect will largely wear off within 12 months. This means electrical stimulation isn't suitable for everyone with the condition.

There's also a small chance of this procedure leading to complications that would require removing the device, such as: